Jun4 |
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Road To 10,000 Losses: Phils-Giants Liveblog
Road to 10,000 Losses is a countdown to the Phillies’ 10,000th loss, coming sometime later this year. The Phillies wrap up a homestand against the Giants today. They lost their first four, but won two straight, including a 9-8 walkoff win yesterday. They currently stand at 9983 losses, only 17 away from 10,000. Hey, so the Phillies are 28-28, .500 once again. The Phillies came into this homestand two games over .500 after a sweep of the Braves, but then were swept to a hot Diamondbacks team and got pounded, 13-0, by the Giants on Friday night. Cole Hamels saved the Phils on Saturday, and Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino helped the Phillies rally for a 9-8 win. Barry Bonds is in this weekend. He’s the alleged steroid abuser — and by that I mean, he’s never tested positive for ‘roids but it’s pretty clear he did them — and is also closing in on Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. The home run record is probably the most famous in sports, so whenever someone approaches it everyone makes a big deal about it. Public sentiment is against Bonds, and it’s also somewhat broken up among racial lines — eep! — but a majority of people don’t like Bonds. He gets booed every time he comes to the plate or catches a ball. It should be fun. Since I’m going to be watching it anyway, I’m going to make you suffer through my commentary, too. When the game starts, liveblogging after the jump.
1:10 - Bonds strikes out looking to end the inning. Hooray! 1:30 - The Phillies find new ways to infuriate their fans every game. Bottom of the first. Rollins singles, Victorino works a 3-0 count. On the 3-1 pitch, he attempts to bunt. He ends up getting a 3-2 single, but Chase Utley sacrifice bunts. You never have a hitter as good as Utley sacrifice bunt, really. After Utley’s bunt, the Giants intentionally walk Ryan Howard. Although there’s only one out, Jayson Werth — I don’t know why he’s batting fifth — pops up to shallow right center, and the Phillies end up getting nothing after Rowand hits into a fielders choice. See? Infuriating. 2:01 - Hey, Bonds is 0-for-2! 2:12 - Woohoo, we have a pitcher’s duel. It’s scoreless through four. 2:21 - There we go. Jon Lieber gives up a three-run homer to Ryan Klesko, and the Phillies are losing. The Phils can’t really give up any more runs or they probably won’t win this game, although the San Francisco bullpen is bad. 2:38 - It’s 5-0 now, but the Phillies got the bases loaded with nobody out. Ryan Howard swung at the first pitch, a breaking ball, and popped out. Jimmy Rollins couldn’t even score from third. Gary Matthews makes a very good point that at two strikes there, Howard has to wait for a fastball until there’s two strikes. This is why this team is so infuriating. It’s like they can’t win unless the other team makes mistakes. Rowand fouls out after a Werth RBI groundout, and it’s 5-1 after five innings. 2:48 - Turning off the TV and putting on the radio has been a Philadelphia sports fan tradition for too many years to count. 3:09 - Larry Andersen: “Why do guys who hit .200 look like Babe Ruth against the Phils?” 3:27 - This team is overly frustrating, no? I’m not just imagining that, I don’t think. 3:54 - Yeah. 8-1. This team sucked the life out of me today, as usual. |
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I wondered if you’d liveblog today and was going to check to see, but the game was just too painful and I just couldn’t read about it.
By the way, Werth bats fifth when he plays in place of Burrell, and second when he plays instead of Victorino (this is mentioned in a notes column on the Phils’ website). Because, you know, the lineup can’t be rearranged when you have different people in it. That has to be one of those “unwritten baseball rules” everyone is so fond of talking about these days.
I was at the game yesterday (June 4th). It was painful to watch. I was taught not to EVER swing at the first pitch in grade school.
For the game you have to weigh the excitement of getting closer to that golden 10,000 mark vs. the excitement of Barry Bonds not getting any home runs at all in Philadelphia. Unfortunately that slowed down the Giants not a whit.